- Despite the fact that Birmingham's infamous Below faction has recently found a consistent home at The Rainbow in Digbeth, the party returned to the intimate warehouse location that housed one of its earlier events with Ivan Smagghe during its nomadic early life. Thanks to this one-off change of location, the night had a special vibe—as though The Rainbow period has all just been a strange dream and, by some miracle, the lucky 400 or so revelers had stumbled upon the warehouse party the first time around.
Wandering Birmingham's Jewellery Quarter, the voice on the phone informed us that we should "walk down the road past the bank, after a hundred metres you'll see the venue on your right..." At first view, you could mistake the few people milling around as a storage firm closing up for the night, but in this part of town—at that time of night—it could only mean one thing.
Upon entering, it was a surprise not to hear a huge rumbling of bass. This element of a night usually awakens the sleeping butterflies in the stomach and arouses the sense of anticipation, however it was refreshing to be able to hear one another speak while the night got going and the venue filled.
Musically, the night was faultless. Rich Ahmed warmed up the room with a bounty of deep house treats with a rework of Joe Hunt's "Every Freakin Night" going down particularly well with the growing crowd. He was followed by Kiki, who went in the same direction as Ahmed, delivering a crowd-pleasing set that took in an array of deep jacking house and teed Subb-an up for an awesome live set. Adam Shelton rounded off the night, taking the BPM up a little, much to the delight of just about everyone.
In addition to the usual party antics, the event served as a showcase for the newly formed One Records, with banners adorning the walls of the main room and label honcho's Subb-an and Shelton proving their jack-happy taste. It led to an inevitable after hours, which saw all four acts nestled behind the makeshift DJ booth/bar jostling for time on the decks. (A real treat for all who managed to make it inside.)
This being a turbulent year for Below—what with The Rainbow's threatened closure—it was good to see that the group is soldiering on, and finding worth in new (and old) places in Birmingham to party.
Photo credit
Tamsin Mae